172 THE INFLUENCE OF RAINFALL ON THE DISTRIBUTION 



javanica), Gad wall {Chaulelasmus streperus)^ Pintail {Dafila 

 acuta), Widgeon {Mareca penelope), Common Teal [Querquedu-' 

 la crecca), and Garg-anej Teal {Qiierquedula circia). I visited 

 this ground on three occasions this season, in November, 

 December and January^ in the full expectation of having more 

 than ordinarily good sport. But notwithstanding the abnor- 

 mal rainfall, not a single Widgeon was to be seen. On the first 

 two occasions no duck of any description were found, but 

 by January a small flock of three or four European Teal had 

 made their appearance, and had the whole ground to them- 

 selves. Similarly with the waders, there was a very marked 

 diminution in the number of Egrets and Herons. Here and 

 there at long intervals a solitary White Heron, conspicuous in his 

 loneliness, moped on the banks, disconsolate. Greenshank, Red- 

 shank, Golden Plover and Sand Plover, usually plentiful, were 

 nowhere, and even the common little Sandpiper, the very com- 

 monest species in the district, was so sparingly seen as to be 

 almost a rarity. Even the Cormorants were affected by the 

 general desolation, and the White Ibis, who generally come in 

 moderately large flocks, w^ere represented by a few unhappy- 

 looking individuals, who hid their diminished heads in the 

 reeds, and looked as if they were sorry they had come. It 

 was as if an annual *jatra' had been stopped by Imperial 

 edict, and the few who had braved the prohibition and reached 

 the try sting place were afraid to show themselves. So with 

 the snipe. In 1877, after a rainfall 87'91 inches — considerably 

 below the average — we had a splendid snipe year. Common 

 and Pintails were equally abundant throughout the disti'ict. 

 In 1878, after a fall of 168"66 inches, nearly double that of the 

 preceding year, we have had, as has been the general remark, 

 an exceptionally poor year. Flamingoes, who had visited 

 Ratnagiri in 1877, put in no appearance in 1878. 



In February and March 1877, I was camped for some six: 

 weeks at the mouth of a small tidal creek, at a village called 

 Kelsi. I obtained or saw the following species of shore and 

 water birds, cold-weather visitants only in this locality : — 



Golden Plover {Charadrius fulvus) plentiful; Sand Plover 

 [j^Egialitis mongolicus) very plentiful ; Oyster Catcher {Hcema- 

 topus ostralegus) scarce; Pintail Snipe [Gallinago stiienura) 

 plentiful; Common Snipe [Gallinago gallinari a) plentiful; Jack 

 Snipe {Gallinago gallinida) scarce ; Curlew {Numenius lineatus) 

 common; Whimbrel {Numenius phaopus) common; Spotted 

 Sandpiper {Rhyacopliila glareola) scarce; Green Sand[)iper {To- 

 tanus ocliropus) scarce; Common Sandpiper (7Vinp'ozc?(?s liypo" 

 leucus) abundant ; Greenshank ( Totanus glottis) plentiful ; Red- 

 shank {Tetanus calidris) plentiful ; Stilt {Himantopus candidus) 



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